2007-08-30

3D Sat Nav in the Car - 30 3D Cities, Tele Atlas (Video)

The next market for 3D cities is without doubt in-car usage for satellite navigation devices. Tele Atlas is poised to roll out 30 cities in the next few months.

The YouTube movie below provides a glimpse at the emerging system:

Tele Atlas state that

'By leveraging 3D city maps, developers can add recognizable building representations with excellent optical quality while maintaining a low volume of data. This ability to present the highly detailed, true-to-life 3D models at exceptionally low data volumes was achieved through a new parametric texture technology developed by GTA Geoinformatik GmbH, a German company with extensive experience in 3D geo-referenced visualization and modelling. With this technology, application developers are provided a range of options, from colored block models to colored facades and roofs with detailed texture'.

Three dimensional cities within satellite navigation systems is a natural move for the market, how they aid in-car navigation compared to the standard map view is open to debate...